So the greatest democracy in the world and the best it can come up with are...Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush? How did we get to that place--where both presumed candidates for the highest office in the land are legacies from days gone by? Should we replace inaugurations with coronations? Do we face a future in which Chelsea Clinton will face off against Jenna Bush?
Is the candidate pool that thin. Yes it is.
In an age in which Congress can't get out of its own way to, you know, actually make laws and the Supreme Court is politicized to the point of ineffectuality, the presidency faces its own crisis.
But that's the state of American politics. It's a game of money and connections, and having a built-in brand like the Clintons and Bushes makes it easier to raise the billions of dollars it takes to run a national campaign. Thus the uninspired choices that likely face U.S. voters 19 months from now.
The radical Republicans who have announced so far will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by the Bush juggernaut once it gets cranking and it's unlikely that Hillary will face any serious opposition--both parties have weak farm systems and America can't seem to escape the stranglehold of a two-party system. Of course Ralph Nader will probably run again...
This is not to say that Hillary and Jeb are unworthy of the presidency. But wouldn't it be nice if some relative unknown with blazingly amazing credentials rose up to challenge the Establishment? The fact that Obama was able to come out of nowhere eight years ago seems beyond extraordinary today.
Well, Marco Rubio?
(Sigh, it's going to be a long, dull campaign.)
Is the candidate pool that thin. Yes it is.
In an age in which Congress can't get out of its own way to, you know, actually make laws and the Supreme Court is politicized to the point of ineffectuality, the presidency faces its own crisis.
But that's the state of American politics. It's a game of money and connections, and having a built-in brand like the Clintons and Bushes makes it easier to raise the billions of dollars it takes to run a national campaign. Thus the uninspired choices that likely face U.S. voters 19 months from now.
The radical Republicans who have announced so far will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by the Bush juggernaut once it gets cranking and it's unlikely that Hillary will face any serious opposition--both parties have weak farm systems and America can't seem to escape the stranglehold of a two-party system. Of course Ralph Nader will probably run again...
This is not to say that Hillary and Jeb are unworthy of the presidency. But wouldn't it be nice if some relative unknown with blazingly amazing credentials rose up to challenge the Establishment? The fact that Obama was able to come out of nowhere eight years ago seems beyond extraordinary today.
Well, Marco Rubio?
(Sigh, it's going to be a long, dull campaign.)
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